10 of the World's Oldest Whisky Distilleries

28-10-2016

By Emily Stockden

Records
are sketchy but the Scotch Whisky Association tells us that the earliest
recorded production of what would eventually evolve into Scotch was in 1494. We
used The Malt Whisky Yearbook (by Ingvar Ronde) and the world wide web to read
up and compile this list of the top 10 oldest whisk(e)y distilleries as they
were officially recorded.

ONE 1608 – Old Bushmills Distillery

Ironically
it’s an Irish (and not Scottish) distillery that claims the oldest licensed whisky distillery in the world!
King James granted the Governer of County Antrim a license to distil Bushmills in
1608, even though the trademark license was only registered in 1784.

TWO1757 –Kilbeggan Distillery, Ireland.

Although the distillery stopped
production for a while, the license to produce was received in 1757. Some say
that the distillery is older than the Bushmills, however, this is still a
debate.The old mash tuns and fermenters are still in their original positions,
as is the iconic waterwheel which once powered the whole distillery.

THREE1773
– Buffalo Trace Distillery

Pipping
Scotland by 2 years, second place is given to the Americans: Buffalo Trace
Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky started whiskey production in 1773. The
distillery is said to have operated continuously since then as it was allowed
to operate during Prohibition

FOUR1775 – Glenturret Distillery

Scotch
whisky distillery, Glenturret, was apparently illegally operated by smugglers
as early as the beginning of the 18th Century, but it received an
official license to produce and sell whisky in 1775, making it Scotland’s
oldest whisky distillery. US Prohibition meant that it was mothballed from 1921
until its 1959 acquisition by Rémy Cointreau. The distillery is now owned
by Edrington and makes The Famous Grouse.

FIVE1779 – Bowmore

Islay’s
first distillery was established in 1779 on the South Eastern coast of the
inner Hebrides. Bowmore’s peated single malt is owned by Morrison Bowmore
Distillers, which is a subsidiary of Japanese Suntory Holdings. It has an
annual capacity of 2,000,000 litres and its No. 1 Vaults, is
said to be Scotland’s oldest whisky maturation house. In 2007, one of the
oldest ever recorded whiskies sold at auction was a Bowmore from the 1800s that
fetched £29,400 (around $60,000 USD at the time).

SIX1786 – Strathisla

Unlike
Glenturret, which is older, Strathisla is Scotland’s oldest continuously operating distillery.
Called Miltown Distillery until 1870 Chivas Brothers acquired it in 1950 (given
that it’s mostly used as part of the Chivas blend). Its distinctive pagodas and
the cobbled courtyard are apparently the same today as they were when it was
first built.

SEVEN1794 – Oban

This distillery, situated on the west
coast of Scotland, technically sits in the Highland region, but it is often
described stylewise as “West Highland,” or something blending the typical
profiles of the Scottish islands and the Highlands. Oban, owned by spirits
giant Diageo, is one of the smallest distilleries in this part of the world, but
because of its very large parent has an extremely high profile among Scotch
drinkers. Its whisky has been promoted in the past as part of Diageo’s
expensive “Special Releases” line up, thus commanding from whisky collectors a
pretty penny to enjoy its bottlings.

EIGHT1797 – Glen Garioch

A
local newspaper featured this Highland whisky distillery and announced that
production had started in 1785 already; however, all Glen Garioch whisky
bottles are imprinted with 1797. It closed in 1968 and reopened again in 1970
when the company today known as Morrison Bowmore Distillers bought it.

NINE1800 – Balblair

Closed for almost 40 years, Balblair
has a fabulously old distilling archive and the first ledger entry is from 25
January 1800. The distillery was mothballed in 1979 and the last whisky left
the warehouse in 1932. It was occupied by the army during World War II and only
reopened in 1949. In 2007 it was decided that bottles would only be marked with
the year that the whisky was laid down and not age statements.

TEN1820s – Kasauli Brewery

General Edward Dyer, of the East India
Company built Kasauli Distillery to produce whisky and shipped in
equipment from England and Scotland – it is believed to be the oldest
distillery in Asia. In 1855, the brewery was dismantled and moved to Solan and
like Strathisla, it’s been in continuously producing Solan No.1 Single Malt.
Today it is called Mohan Meakin Limited.